In strategic shift, US Forces chief calls S. Korea ‘decisive space,’ not outpost

The top American military commander in South Korea has recast the strategic meaning of the Korean Peninsula, arguing that it should no longer be seen as a distant forward outpost but as a “decisive space inside the defensive perimeter.” The shift, according to Gen. Xavier Brunson, upends decades of conventional military thinking and requires viewing the U.S. forces stationed in South Korea as a central pillar of deterrence — a change that could force a broad reassessment of joint operational plans and the alliance’s warfighting posture. In written responses to questions from the defense press corps, Brunson said U.S. troops in South Korea are not “projecting power from afar,” but are already operating from within the region that matters most. These comments accompany an essay titled “Revealing Hidden Strategic Advantages in the Indo-Pacific,” which the command posted on its official website Monday. In the piece, Brunson described an “East-up map,” a geographic orientation that places east at the top instead of north. He says that this offers a different way of seeingWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times